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Lady Bird Johnson Forever Stamp Sheet Dedicated Today

AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 30, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The achievements of Lady Bird Johnson were commemorated today with the dedication of the Lady Bird Johnson souvenir Forever stamps sheet. The ceremony honoring the former First Lady took place at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Centerof The University of Texas at Austin.

The stamps are available at Post Offices in Texas and the Washington, DC metropolitan area. They can also be purchased at usps.com/stamps, or by calling 800-STAMP24. To learn more about Lady Bird Johnson, centennial-related events, and to download photos and view a video, visit ladybirdjohnson.org.

"Lady Bird Johnson changed the face of America — literally," said U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors Chairman Thurgood Marshall, Jr. "She believed we had a responsibility to our environment to restore what had been damaged — and to remember what had been neglected. That's why she led campaigns to clean up our cities and urged more Americans to visit national parks. One of her proudest achievements was the Highway Beautification Act. She was so vocal in her support for the legislation that it became known as ' Lady Bird's Bill.'"

"Generations of Johnson's are grateful to celebrate Mother's Centennial with a forever stamp," said Luci Baines Johnson. "A stamp that will remind us forever of the difference she made on our environment and our commitment to serve those most in need."

The Lady Bird Johnson souvenir sheet features six stamps, a quote from the First Lady reflecting her belief that the environment is our common ground, and a black-and-white image of the First Lady taken from a family photograph shot in 1963 by Yoichi Okamoto. Text on the back of the stamp sheet highlights a few of Lady Bird Johnson's many successes.

The single stamp on the right side of the sheet features her official White House portrait, an oil painting by Elizabeth Shoumatoff showing the seated First Lady wearing a buttercup yellow empire-waist gown.

The five stamps on the left, adaptations of stamps originally issued in the 1960s commemorate the visible legacy left by her projects — and encourage others to follow.